TLDR
- GoPro entered a merger agreement with Action Acquisitions LLC on September 1, 2026, valuing the deal at $285 million or $1.14 per share in cash plus stock.
- Starman Optical, a photonics company and subsidiary of Action Acquisitions, plans to pivot GoPro into data centers, defense tech, and AI infrastructure.
- GoPro stock surged around 50% on the day of the announcement and is up nearly 100% over the past week.
- YouTuber Markiplier disclosed an 8.5% stake in GoPro one day before the deal was announced.
- The deal, which needs shareholder and regulatory approval, includes a $10 million termination fee and is expected to close by end of 2026.
GoPro stock jumped sharply after the company announced a merger agreement with Action Acquisitions LLC on September 1, 2026. The stock was up 37% and had surged as high as 50% during the session, trading around $1.21 per share.
Under the deal, Starman Optical, a photonics company and subsidiary of Action Acquisitions, will merge into GoPro. GoPro will then become a subsidiary of Action Acquisitions. Each existing share will be converted into a mix of stock in the surviving corporation plus $1.14 in cash.
The total deal is valued at around $285 million. It will also wipe approximately $92 million of debt off GoPro’s balance sheet. GoPro shareholders will retain about 10% of the company after the transaction closes.
GoPro’s board unanimously approved the deal and agreed to put it to a shareholder vote. The transaction still needs antitrust clearance and shareholder approval to proceed. Midtown Equities LLC has committed equity funding, and a $10 million termination fee applies under certain conditions, including if GoPro opts for a superior proposal.
The companies expect the deal to close by the end of 2026.
A New Direction for GoPro
Starman Optical has outlined plans to pivot GoPro away from consumer cameras and toward data centers, defense technology, and AI infrastructure. The strategy draws comparisons to Allbirds, which earlier this year sold its shoe brand and rebranded as NewBird AI.
GoPro has struggled for years after peaking in the early 2010s when action cameras were in high demand. The stock fell from a high of over $98 per share shortly after its 2014 IPO to around $1.21 today, wiping more than $10 billion in market cap. Smartphone camera improvements and a shift in influencer content toward professional production setups hurt demand for the core product.
Markiplier Stake Raises Eyebrows
One day before the deal was announced, YouTuber Markiplier, real name Mark Fischbach, disclosed he had acquired an 8.5% stake in GoPro. The disclosure helped push the stock higher ahead of the official announcement.
The timing of the purchase, one day before a major acquisition news, has drawn attention. The connection between the stake disclosure and the merger announcement is something investors are noting.
The merger agreement includes standard representations and covenants between GoPro and the buyer. GoPro plans to file a proxy statement with the SEC outlining the merger terms and participants’ interests.
The most recent analyst rating on GPRO is a Sell with a $0.50 price target, well below where the stock currently trades.
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